the SINGING of BIRDS. l§£ 
At the fame time, this bird is fo fulky on his 
firft confinement, that he muft be crammed for 
feven or eight days, as he will otherwife not 
feed himfelf : it is alfo necefiary to tie his wings, 
to prevent his killing himfelf againft the top or 
iides of the cage.. 
I believe there is no infiance of any bird’s 
finging which exceeds our Black-Bird in fize ; 
and pofiibly this may arife from the difficulty 
of its concealing itfelf, if it called the attention 
of its enemies, not only by bulk, but by the 
proportionable loudnefs of its notes. 
I ihould rather conceive, it is for the fame 
reafon that no hen-bird tings, becaufe this 
talent would be (fill more dangerous during 
incubation ; which may pofiibly alfo account 
for the inferiority in point of plumage. 
I tried once an experiment, which might 
indeed have pofiibly made fome alteration in 
the tone or a bird, from what it might have 
been when the animal was at its full growth, 
by procuring an operator who caponifed a young 
Black-Bird of about fix weeks old ; as it died, 
however, foon afterwards, and I have never 
repeated the experiment, I can only conje<fiurc 
with regard io what might have beeu the con- 
sequences of it. 
